An incredible story of survival is emerging amidst a boating tragedy that left five people dead.
It began as a family outing to go crabbing on a boat in Bodega Bay, across the Golden Gate Bridge north of San Francisco.
The boat capsized leaving six people wearing life jackets in the freezing water and clinging on to a water cooler, reports CBS San Francisco.
All were presumed dead until a 13 year old atop the water cooler floated to a beach where campers phoned 911.
“It was pretty scary and we were all trying to get up on the surface to hang on the boat with our life jackets on,” said Juladi “Jude” Khammamoungkoune, 13, to NBC Bay Area.
He says his family hoisted him atop the cooler because he was the youngest. The last words his father uttered was “hold on.”
“I was on the cooler and then my dad let go,” Jude said. “I was looking for him, and I was in tears.”
His father has been identified as Prasong Khammamoungkoune.
Also among the dead are Johnny Phommathep, 41, his 17-year-old son, Johnny II and younger brother, Jake, 14.
This is not the first time this family has seen tragedy.
USA Today reports that in 2017, the two boys and their mother were shot in a mass shooting in California’s Tehama County in an incident that left five people dead.
The boys and their mother all recovered from their injuries.
The fifth person killed in the boating accident has been identified as Matthew Ong, 42.
Two separate GoFundMe pages have each raised more than $50,000 to assist surviving family members and to help with funeral expenses.
“I can’t stop thinking about what their last moments were like. What their thoughts were and how scared they were and what pain they have been through. That is all I think about,” said Tiffany Phommathep to ABC7 News.
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